


Fins and Fangs

by Arktosphonos



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, merman!Riku
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-13
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2018-12-27 19:18:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12087636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arktosphonos/pseuds/Arktosphonos
Summary: Riku's a young merman who finally found the territory he wants, Destiny Island. He notices human children coming and going, and spots one with spiky brown hair that greatly intrigues him.He starts leaving presents for the human, trying to build something between them before Riku takes the chance to speak with Sora for the first time.





	1. First Meeting

He had been watching the boy for days now, trying to build up the courage to speak to the little human. Sure, he doubted the boy could understand him once he tried; humans are primitive and didn’t have a large vocal range from what he was told by the other adults who had come into contact with them. Humans are simple creatures and often volatile towards his kind, which was why the young merman had stuck far out in the ocean to avoid being seen in case of such a negative reaction.

Riku had been tracking the coming and goings of the young boy as he rowed to and from the island. His spiky brown hair seemed to defy gravity and intrigued the young merman. He wanted to run his hands through the messy hair and see if it would be stiff and urchin like as he suspected it might be.

Being on the cusp of adulthood, he was finally allowed to start leaving the group he’d grown up with to look for his own territory. Riku had chosen a small island off one of the mainlands, and had seen many young humans travel back and forth to it in small rowboats. The one that caught Riku’s eye was here almost daily; always happy, laughing and stumbling along the shore as he played amongst the others.

So Riku staked this island as his, even if several children came to it during the day. At night it was his. Although he was barred from walking the island, he came as close as possible to being able to slither onto the shore and rest among the white sands, looking up at the stars while thoughts ran rampant of how to start speaking to the little human.

Since coming to the revelation of wanting to speak to the little human, Riku began collecting items from the depths of the ocean in hopes of gaining the boy’s attention. He’d seen the children tread a few feet in the water during low tide, sift through the sands, then pull out shells with such glee it made Riku a little envious. He could provide much better treasures than fragile, pocked half-shells the humans managed to pull up.

His pride forced him to dive deeper and deeper beneath the waves in search of the treasures. So far Riku had collected several brightly colored fish scales, ancient fossilised shark teeth, and pale coral that seemed to glow from how white it was. All of these things would be prized in his community so he figured the boys would like them.

Riku left them on the dock when the brunet wasn’t looking, making sure to hide deep enough under the salt encrusted planks of wood so he wouldn’t be seen, but close enough he could hear the reaction. His heart beat almost painfully behind his chest with the first gift he left, a large, sharp tooth of a shark that he was delighted to see around the boy’s next the next day he appeared.

Still, Riku spaced out his gifts for a week, allowing each one to appear purposely on the dock in front of the boy when he wasn’t looking. Sometimes the human would speak to him, well— the ocean. But it was nice, hearing the soft words he couldn’t understand.

* * *

Sora watched the ocean, the waves lapped gently at his feet as he let them hang in the water as he held the newest gifts in his hands. Small, brightly colored scales of some kind were threaded through worn rope. He was sure this was supposed to be a bracelet of some type, but the rough, frayed rope would itch if he put it on. He would get his mother to fix it for him later.

“I can’t wear this right now,” he called out to the empty waves, “but thank you!”

He felt a little silly thanking a nameless entity, but his mother always told him to remember his manners. After the third day of being presented a gift, Sora was sure someone was trying to get his attention. He just wasn’t sure who–or what– was.

Kicking his feet, he splashed water and hummed while idly running his fingers over the smooth scales. Night would fall soon and he needed to leave the island to get home in time for dinner. The sky was already brightly painted in golds, purples, and pinks from the setting sun. With a sigh, he begrudgingly remembered he needed to do homework before dinner or he didn’t get dessert.

Standing, he gently wrapped the string of scales up before sliding it into his pocket. He didn’t want to drop it on accident as he rowed back to the mainland. He would be devastated if something were to happen to this thoughtfully created gift that was obviously left for him.

It was strange how each gift always appeared while Sora was alone, yet nothing more than a small item or two had been seen in the course of the week. He was more than sure someone was giving these to him, but he wasn’t sure why. Did the ocean give him the presents, or something else?

The questions made his head spin with all the possibilities, so with a quick shake and a few hard smacks to his face to focus himself, he finished getting all his gear he took to the island for the day and put it in the boat before climbing in himself.

It rocked atop the waves as weight shifted around, and Sora quickly sat down on the wooden seat so as not to topple the boat and be cast overboard. But something strange was happening. Even though he was sitting, stabilizing the boat in doing so, it kept rocking in a dangerous manner.

“What’s going on?” Sora mumbled as he wiggled about, trying to shift his weight to see if that would help.

A pair of hands grasped the side of the boat, pulling down and nearly capsizing it before something wet and slippery fell to the bottom of the boat as it left the ocean and took up residence in his boat.

Sora screamed, truly frightened as something came aboard his boat. The oar in his hand was held out in front of him as a weapon as he lurched to his feet. Again, it rocked, dangerously close to tipping as the boy struggled to gain his bearings.

A long silver tail swished back and forth, the scales glistening from the water and changing a menagerie of colors with each shift of muscle. A flowing fin gently tapped his ankle, obviously the creature was too big for the boy’s tiny rowboat and it was straining to hold two occupants.

Sora’s eyes grew wide as he took in the full view. A young looking… Boy? This was a boy, right? With a fish tail sat in his boat, looking a little nervous as he held up his hands, obviously trying to show he didn’t mean Sora harm. He had soft, kind looking teal eyes and long silver hair like his scales. He was sure the hair would be beautiful and loose while underwater, but now the boy looked as graceful as anyone who came out the water while dripping wet.

He would have guessed this as an elaborate prank if it wasn’t for the obvious fact this boy wasn’t human. Minus the long fish tail, the merman had two flowing fins along his arms ( also silver with just a touch of blue at the tips ) and a small spackling of extra scales along his arms that led up to his hands.

He had three wide… fingers? Did they count as fingers on something nonhuman? That were tipped with wicked looking claws. Sora shuddered and moved back a little more as the merman tried to speak with him, only in doing so did he reveal a mouthful of razor sharp teeth, curved like a sharks and most likely just as dangerous.

All that came out of the boy was soft clicks akin to a dolphin. Obviously human speech wouldn’t be a thing to him.

“I’m dreaming,” Sora said, allowing the oar to fall from his hands into the bottom of the boat. He began laughing, high and strained and nervous as he looked at the merman. A merman! Those were tales of legend, but here one was, sitting in his boat with little more than some apprehension.

A shaky breath was exhaled and Sora stared down the other, neither saying nothing for the span of several long minutes.

Another soft chirp was emitted from the merman. Another glimpse of those dangerous teeth.

Sora averted his eyes, head bowed as he stared at the bottom of the boat, the fish tail still tapping almost impatiently against his leg.

“Can you understand me?” He asked softly. If he couldn’t be understood or understand the merman, how was he supposed to ask him questions?

The other furrowed his scaley brows, head cocked to the side as he looked at Sora in a curious manner.

Sora tried speaking louder, “Can you understand me at all? Has it been you who’s been leaving me stuff?”

Several more chirps before a high pitched cry was his only reply.

* * *

It had taken a lot of courage for Riku to finally meet the boy face to face. He saw that the brunet was leaving for the day and he took the chance of hopping into his boat.

When the boy held the wooden stick he used to move across the water in a threatening manner, Riku felt fear burst to life in his chest. Sure, there was always a possibility of things ending badly, but he didn’t think it would actually happen. He could have laughed from relief once the stick was dropped and clattered to the boat floor.

But it was as he feared, neither of them could understand the other due to language barriers. He wished the human was more capable of speech, other than the guttural rasping he always produced. Didn’t it hurt to make that kind of sound?

Out of the water like this, Riku felt vulnerable. Exposed. So he curled more, pulling his fin away from the boy and allowing his tail to circle around him. With a spine so flexible, he was able to do so with ease, and once he brought the appendage back and further away from the human, the boy seemed to relax a little bit more.

Riku listening to the boy prattle on, raking his hand through his hair with every few words. He had such pretty blue eyes, almost a deeper color than the ocean, and Riku wished they would look at him more.

He watched the human fuss with the fabric on his body, digging into something before pulling out the gift Riku had brought him for today. The beautifully crafted bracelet of ship rope and iridescent fish scales. It was the gift Riku was most proud of since he made it himself.

“The gift!” He chirped out, reaching for it only to have the brunet snatch the bracelet away and hold it tightly against his chest. Obviously he treasured it from the protective stance he took on.

A sigh was exhaled. Sure, the human couldn’t understand him. It was truly pointless to speak to him, but Riku wanted to for many reasons. He liked this human and found him pretty to look at. He liked his voice when the brunet thought no one was around and sang. He liked the way he smiled and blushed with each new present presented to him.

So he would try his best to eventually speak to this human even if it took forever.

Slithering out of the boat, Riku fell into the water without a splash. He would meet with the human again tomorrow and start trying to teach him how to properly speak.

His heart soared higher than the gulls that liked to try and poke at him when he was above the waves. Never before had Riku wanted anything more than this little human to speak with him, and he let out shrill excited shrieks as he circled about for a moment or two to displace the energy that coursed through him.

He didn’t die today. That was the best reaction he could have hoped for and he would try for more the next day. 


	2. A Taste You Can't Rinse Out

Sora glanced at the clock again. Time ticked onwards, but scarcely three minutes had passed since he last looked at it. His leg bounced in anticipation beneath his desk as he watched the hands move in slow seconds.

He was eager to return to the island today to see his new friend.

A merman of all things!

However, school came first and while he wasn’t always the best at his studies, he understood the necessity of them and begrudgingly went. But time seemed to drag on even longer than usual as he sat through first period maths, alternating between daydreaming, jiggling his leg and counting the times between his knee bumping the desk, and drawing in his notes.

Before he walked to school this morning, Sora had prepared his rowboat with a few supplies so it would just be a quick stop by his house to tell his mother how school went before he headed off to the island to meet up with the merman. He stashed a few bottles of water and fruit beneath one of the wooden seats so he had a snack with him once he made it to the island.

He wasn’t even sure what to call him; the language barrier between the two was huge and it would take a long time for them to finally start speaking to one another like Sora wanted, but yesterday they seemed to make due somewhat okay.

* * *

_After the initial shock and disbelief at the merman’s appearance, and both realizing neither could properly speak to one another, the merman began gesturing until he managed to get something akin to a question across._

_If he could touch Sora’s hair._

_While somewhat nervous of the merman’s sharp claws so close to him, Sora didn’t want to be rude and plopped down in the bottom of the boat, nodding in agreement before bowing his head and letting the merman pet him._

_Strong fingers raked through his spiky hair, and what he decided was a good noise erupted from the other and the hands against his scalp began to tug slightly on his hair, pulling this way and that way as he continued to chirp. The gentle scrape of his claws caused shivers to trickle down Sora’s spine and the brunet began to wriggle at the tremors that coursed through his body._

_“That’s starting to tickle,” he laughed, batting away the hands on his head._

_Before they got too far away, Sora grabbed the merman’s wrist, careful of the fins that ran down the sides and up the backs of his forearms. The scales were smooth to the touch and iridescent. Even though they were mostly silver, the sun glinting off them caused a cascade of colors to erupt within. Even the blue seemed to shimmer underneath the setting sun._

_Sora ran his fingers over the scales, nails slightly catching over the edges where they overlapped, and down the merman’s forearm until he came to the fin. It was thin and flexible, just like a fish’s would be, before billowing out into even an even thinner membrane speckled with a deep blue._

_They were awfully pretty, just like the rest of the merman._

_His eyes were a brilliant shade of teal, yet the iris was a deep black that reflected little light. The merman’s eyes were more fish than human it seemed, but what constituted as normal for a merman anyway?_

_Sora caught a few curious clicks from the other before the hands gripped his arms, and slid up to cup his face. The scent of brine from the ocean along with the smooth scales that scraped along his cheeks was making his heart race. Sora had never had someone inspect him before._

_And that’s what this was: an inspection._

_He worried his lower lip with his teeth, trying his best to settle his breathing and his heart rate as the merman caressed his face, once again winding up in spiky brown hair as clawed fingers ran along the edges of his ears._

_Oh! Another difference it seemed. Unlike Sora’s round human ears, the merman had fin-like ridges protruding from the sides of his head, and two holes where where ear canals would be._

_The fins twitched and small flaps closed, sealing sealing what Sora assumed were the merman’s ears. That must be what helped protect them from getting ocean water inside. Sora reached up, gently prodding the area with his fingers and earned a series of sharp, shrill clicks as the merman shook him off._

_“Oh! Sorry!” He quickly apologized, letting his hands drop once more into his lap._

_A fin lightly smacked his side before the merman once again began petting his hair._

_Sora allowed the petting to happen, and tilted his head every now and then to have the merman scratch at a spot he wanted scratched._

_“How long can you stay outside the water?” He asked after a while of somewhat awkward silence._

_It was obvious the merman could breath outside water. He wasn’t gasping for it like a fish that had been dragged ashore, but every now and then the merman would dip his tail into the ocean and fling water onto himself to keep himself damp._

_Sora didn’t want him to dry out or struggle to breathe. So after the fourth or fifth time the merman dipped his tail into the ocean to get water, Sora decided to help. If he didn’t need to be submerged in water, it was obvious he at least needed to stay damp, and just flicking water on himself wasn’t the best way to keep that way._

_Grabbing the small pail used for sandcastle building, he dipped it into the ocean and grabbed a bucketful of saltwater._

_“I’m going to pour this on you.” He gestured from the bucket to the merman, trying to let the other know his intentions beforehand. He looked at the small pail, squinting his eyes as he peered at the brimming contents within. “Uhm, is this enough you think?”_

_A slow nod was given and Sora took that as permission to dump the water on the merman._

_The merman shook his head after the water was dumped on him, pushing aside wet hair as his tail gently smacked against Sora’s sides. Maybe he was thanking him? But the soft smile that was given caused his heart to falter in it’s beating momentarily._

_This merman was incredibly handsome, even if he wasn’t human._

_Another trilling chirp filled the air, and Sora found his face once again in the merman’s hands. Sora had just enough time to blink in confusion before the merman nuzzled his face close and kissed him._

_His lips tasted like the ocean._

* * *

“You look like you’re absorbed in thought.”

Sora jumped in surprise at the voice, startled out of his thoughts as Kairi sat beside across from him at lunch, already switching out their foods for what the other liked best. It had been the same routine since Kairi first moved to the islands nine years ago.

Sora let out a soft laugh and shook his head. “Just a little bit.”    

Kairi had been his best friend for years, but he wasn’t sure if it would be a good idea to tell her about the merman. Part of Sora wanted to keep this friendship to himself, even if only for a short while. He wanted to gain as much trust as possible from the merman and communicate with him a bit before seeing about introducing him to other people.

Sora wasn’t even sure how the merman would react to a gaggle of people wanting to see him.

He wasn’t even sure if the merman wanted other people to see him besides Sora.

“You know if something’s bothering you, you can always tell me.” Kairi slid over her fries and took Sora’s vegetables as payment. “So what’s on your mind?”

Grabbing a handful of fries, Sora scarfed them down, cheeks still flushed red. He averted his eyes, refusing to meet Kairi’s intense gaze for a moment before looking her head on.

“Hey, Kairi? What counts as a first kiss?”


	3. Is This Called 'Want'?

The ocean rolled in waves up the shore. Water roared up to rush around his calves as he stared at the almost endless expanse of water. 

The horizon was aglow with the last sputters of light from the setting sun. The sky was a beautiful mix of golds, reds, and purples. The faintest hint of stars started to peek out of the colors and shimmered in the dying light.

But for once Sora didn’t care about sitting there and watching the sunset.

Today marked the third day of not seeing the merman again. Sora was starting to wonder if that one time was the only chance he had to see him. No gifts had appeared on the docks for the boy either, so he wasn’t sure if the merman was around any longer.

A small sand crab scuttled over towards him, wading through the water and crawling atop his foot. The small creatures waved its claws in threat for a moment if Sora dared to try anything and then continued on its way. Sora wondered if that’s what the merman did as well. Did he sate his curiosity and move on?

A laugh rose up over the sound of the waves breaching the beach’s edge. Deep, rich, and playful in its tone.

Silver glinted between the waves, and before Sora could react, a heavy form knocked into his legs. The boy grunted in surprise as his world became a blur of sensations. He tumbled and found himself on his back in the shallows of the water, a cold weight against him and the scent of fish.

The warm water felt almost like a blanket with the way its froth slid over him in gentle waves.  It cradled him, making his collapse into the sea foam a little easier, albeit messier. With closed eyes, he wasn’t sure of his state of being, but he knew mud and sand clung to every inch of his clothes.

Embarrassment was the last thing on Sora’s mind as he shut his eyes in an attempt at blocking out sand particles and saltwater. Someone was looming over him, their wet body dripping water and sand onto his face.

The slippery feel of cold, wet skin and smooth scales caused an involuntary shudder to course down Sora’s spine. Hands were on his face, a little rough with how they held his baby fat laden cheeks, and he could feel the first pinpricks of claws digging into his skin.

“You’re back,” Sora laughed. Relief clear in his voice as he heard the telltale chirps of the merman he met days earlier.

Blinking away the brine that had gathered in his eyes as the merman leaned over him, dripping salt water all over his face, he grinned up at the other. He didn’t try and fight his way out of the hold; knowing he was safe and harm wouldn’t come to him. He even mimicked the merman and cupped the other’s face.

“I thought you might have left for good after that one meeting.” 

The merman laughed, and Sora realized that was the source of the laughter he heard only moments prior, before leaning forward, brushing his face against Sora’s as he chirped. The noises he made were short and soft. Was he was apologizing for being gone?

“You’re going to make me smell like fish.” Sora tried to get upset as the other nuzzled against his cheek and neck. Several keening chirps were given, and the brunet sighed as he pet the merman’s hair. “If my mom gets mad at me, I’m blaming you.”

“I never thought you would be so heavy though,” Sora grumbled as he wiggled underneath the other. When the merman rushed him and knocked him over, he placed a good portion of his weight on Sora. All that muscle was dense, and Sora didn’t have much packed on yet to throw the other off of him. "Will you at least move over?”

He tried to squirm, showing he wanted out from underneath the bulk of the merman, but it seemed to be fruitless under the other.

A glinting silver tail dipped into the water before splashing the both of them. The act seemed almost playful. The merman leaned even more onto Sora, a smile pulling at his lips and showing off those rows of sharp teeth again.

Sora stopped his struggling, going limp under the body above him. He tried playing dead. His dog would sometimes become fooled from the act and leave him alone, maybe it would work on the other.

Success.

As soon as he did, several curious clicks were given and he felt prodding fingers against his cheeks, his neck, his chest. Blowing up into the face that hovered scant inches above his own, he was rewarded with a shrill shriek of surprise.

Again he was splashed with water by a grumpy merman. But he was also successful in getting the other to move. Sora couldn’t help but laugh at the scowl that crossed the merman’s face.

“Tomorrow,” Sora said as he came down from his laughing fit. Rolling to his side on the wet sand and facing the merman completely he continued, “I’m going to start teaching you how to talk. Maybe we can reach something. Will you be here?”

The silver tail smacked the surface of the water as it rushed around the pair. Silence was the only thing the merman offered.

Sora hummed softly, almost disappointed in the lack of response.

The sun had dipped lower beyond the horizon now, casting both of them in large shadows and making it harder to see. The last sputters of light barely visible and the sky an expanse of glimmering stars and darkness. Although the sight was incredibly pretty, it did nothing for Sora’s dimming vision. Finding his way to his raft and pack would be a chore.

Tomorrow would the merman return?

It’s not as if he had the ability to understand Sora and give a reply, even though the boy desperately wished for it. This new creature— his new friend, he wanted to speak to him without guessing meanings and seeing what would happen.

The water grew colder as it continued to soak into his clothes.

* * *

Riku followed the little human as he rowed his way back to the mainland. It wasn’t a long trip, but he wanted to make sure the boy didn’t capsize in the choppy waters that indicated a storm was approaching.

Humans weren’t built like him; he was a creature made for traversing the water. Their spindly little appendages didn’t do much to help them get through the waves like a strong tail and fins would.

So he worried as he swam alongside the rowboat, often circling it in quick successions since he was leagues faster than it. Any curious ocean dweller that came close to the boat was chased off, sharp threatening clicks the only warning given before he swam up, baring fangs and claws and making a show of going to attack.

Curious creatures swam away after the threat displays, and he safely got the little human home.

The boat bumped against the docks, and the brunet hopped out, grabbing the different items he had stowed away previously inside the wooden seat. He spoke–or at least his version of speaking–to Riku before he crouched down and began rifling through the bag.

Riku swam up to the docks, arms resting on the weathered wood as he chattered to the boy. “I don’t know where you’re going, but stay safe,” he said. He could have laughed at the way the human furrowed his eyebrows as Riku talked to him before he continued rooting through his pack. “I can’t protect you on land like I can when you come to my island.”

Rising further out of the water, Riku used his tail to propel him higher until he was sitting on the soggy wood. Reaching forward, he grabbed the human’s hand and pulled him closer so he could nuzzle his face.

It was a common way to greet each other or say goodbye in his species. Touch was a very intrical part of his culture and he wanted to share it with the boy. And it came as a delight when warm skin rubbed against his own as the human responded and nuzzled him back.

He loved the soft feeling of the boy’s skin against his own, and relished the way his skin seemed to only pinken when Riku bumped against him in affection. From how long it took him to relax and return the gestures, Riku was probably right in his assumption the human didn’t normally do this, and felt honored he tried to mimic him in his culture.

The pack the brunet had been digging through was now forgotten as Riku brushed his mouth against the human’s lips. “I have to make sure my territory is safe and will be gone until nightfall making sure no one’s trying to take it, but I hope I see you tomorrow.”

The human looked at him, lips pulled down into a frown before he started repeated something with growing urgency each time.

_Sora._

Riku watched and listened as the human repeated the word, patting himself on the chest, making it painfully obvious that’s what he was called after a time.

Sora was his name? Riku wasn’t sure if he could speak like the human, and in trying a low, raspy noise came from him.

His tail flicked irritably in the water at the failure of pronunciation. His body wasn’t built for producing such low pitches and guttural tones. But for this small human he would try.

“Ssss–” he hissed out the sound, trying to get his mouth to work properly so he could pronounce the name just right.

Blue eyes danced in delight as they watched him, and it seemed the human waited with baited breath for him to continue.

But the way the boy stared at him started making Riku nervous, so he dove back into the ocean, swimming beneath the waves and popping up several meters away from the docks and far out of reach of the boy. The human only laughed, a brilliant smile on his face as he called out more garbled nonsense to him.

Riku would practice saying Sora’s name all night until he got it right, until his throat was raw from the guttural noises and primitive speech. His pride nagged at him to do this one thing right.


	4. Conversations With Mother

Sora had never tried to teach someone to speak before. He wasn’t even sure if it was feasible with the large language barrier between them already, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try his hardest to teach the merman how to have some semblance of a conversation with him.

As long as he tried, that’s all that mattered.

But where to actually start was the biggest issue Sora had with everything. When he was learning to talk, it took quite some time. Of course the merman wasn’t the same as an infant, but learning a whole new language took a lot of time, work, and dedication. Did he start with books? Just pointing things out and letting the merman copy him?

His head spun at all the things he might need to start teaching the merman to speak, and it was becoming dizzying to think upon as all the options started to pile up. Finally, he decided reading to the merman and looking at picture oriented books would be the best thing to probably start with. A picture was worth a thousand words, after all.

As soon as he woke up that day, Sora began digging through all his things his parents kept of his when he was a baby. He explained it was for nostalgia’s sake that he was digging through crates in the attic to keep his mother from pestering him and getting him to actually clean the place.

He had avoided it for months now; what was another day or two?

Through dust and cobwebs, he searched through sealed boxes and pulled out colorful stuffed animals, baby toys, clothes that he hadn’t seen since he was five, and a myriad of books that had helped teach him to start reading and speaking.

He began to worry about the mess he was making halfway in, and mentally made a note to actually clean up after he was done.

Simple children’s books were stuffed into the worn rucksack he always carried to the island before he wondered what else was needed. After a few moments of debate, he grabbed an empty notebook and several pencils and pens for the merman to start learning how to write. Maybe that would help?

After cleaning up the mess he had made of the attic and placing boxes back into neat piles, he deemed the place decently cleaned, at least enough his parents shouldn’t pester him about the state it was left in.

Raking a hand through spiky brown hair, Sora stomped down the steps that lead from his room to the den of his house. It was now the weekend and his mother occupied the room, sitting in the corner with the piano that had been in their family for three generations. Notes floated in the air, a beautiful sound as she pressed each key in quick succession perfectly.

“Sora,” she called out to him before he could slink out the door.

The boy froze in his steps as he reached the end of the stairs. He was hoping to get out without questions being asked. His father had already left for the day, and he was trying to calculate the time until his mother would have gone shopping, allowing Sora to slip out of the house undetected. But it seemed she either waited or wasn’t going today.

“Yes, mom?” he asked as he walked into the room. The pack he had slung over his shoulders jostled slightly as he walked, and he decided to slip his arms through the straps to make it easier to carry. Even though it was only thin, small books he carried, he had managed to shove in quite a few along with the snacks and drinks he was taking to the islands for the day.

His mother looked at him, never pausing in her flow of music as she did so. It always amazed Sora just how well she was attuned to the music and piano, finding keys without looking took a lot of skill and he was so proud of her for it.

“Make sure you’re back before dark. Do I need to fix Kairi a snack or anything before you go?”

He had been getting home a lot later because of his meetings with the merman, so he wasn’t surprised to hear his mother chide him about curfew again. He nodded, eager to accept these conditions and more than complacent in them.

“Sure, I’ll be back then,” he nodded, bouncing on his toes for a moment. He was filled with sudden excitement at the prospect of getting a snack to take to his best friend. His mother was great at cooking and he loved being able to bring gifts to people. “But I made a new friend this week. Can you make them a snack as well?”

The notes stopped as his mother rose from the sette, smiling ever patiently at him as she walked over to cup his face between her hands. Sora smiled, hands quickly covering his mother’s as she leaned down to kiss his nose.

“Of course, Sora. Do you know what they like?” She asked after lavishing his face in affectionate pecks and causing the boy to giggle and halfheartedly struggle to escape the onslaught of affection before she released him.

The boy frowned, lips pulling into a deep scowl and brows furrowing as he thought on what a merman might eat. “..... Fish?”

His mother laughed before ruffling his hair and directing him to follow her into the kitchen. “How much about your new friend do you know?” Her question was teasing, light, yet also full of parental caution. Her worry was noticeable and Sora didn’t want to worry her.

“He’s new and doesn’t speak much,” Sora was quick to assure her, trying to soothe her worry without really revealing too much. While she wouldn’t make fun of him for admitting his friend was a merman, he also didn’t know how well that would go over if she truly believed him.

“It’s hard understanding him much since he’s…. Foreign.” The words tumbled off his tongue and he already felt flushed with nervousness at how lame the excuse sounded.

“‘Foreign’ huh?” His mother raised a brow, lips quirked into a disbelieving smirk before a more serious expression took over. “So what’s he like? I’m not entirely comfortable with the thought of you hanging around strangers alone.”

He vehemently shook his head, hands flying up to wave back and forth. It was almost as if he was trying to physically push away his mother’s worries about him being baited by strangers.

“He’s not a bad guy!” he exclaimed, jumping at the defense of the merman. His arms fell to his sides and he lifted his head to look his mother in the eyes as he spoke. She was only a few inches taller than he was, his growth spurt late and keeping his stature rather small for now. He didn’t mind being small, but he knew in his mother’s eyes his size made him more child-like.

Sucking in a breath, Sora walked over to the small table and two chairs shoved in a cramped corner of the kitchen, and took a seat. His mother was quick to react and took the opposite seat, staring him down firmly as if she dared him to lie to her. He wouldn’t reveal everything, but at least tell his mother enough about the merman to ease her fears that he was talking to some creep.

“I really don’t know much about him yet,” Sora admitted. He internally winced as his mother only seemed to become more worried and he was quick to try and soothe her once again. “We met only a week and a half ago on the beach.”

“Is he new to the islands then?”

Sora nodded, fingers drumming nervously against the table as he continued speaking; it was another nervous habit he hadn’t broken yet. “I think so. He doesn’t speak much and hasn’t really been able to tell me. He’s from… somewhere I’ve probably never heard of before.”

His mother, thankfully, didn’t take the chance to tease him about his poor study skills in that moment. He mentally made a note to actually clean the attic within the week because of it.

“You keep saying ‘he’,” his mother pointed out. “Does _he_ have a name?”

Sora’s face burned hot at the question. He’d been kissed by the merman, twice now, but the language barrier between them prevented Sora from learning his name. In a way it felt…. Wrong. Here he was, kissing a creature of myth, and not even knowing his name between kisses.

“I---” Sora trailed off, unable to look his mother in her eyes as he fessed up. “Well, if he has, then I haven’t been able to understand him.”

Sora’s nose scrunched up as he placed his arms on the table, head falling to the surface and forehead lightly smacking the wood. “I feel bad for not knowing it. But he speaks a whole different language.”

Pausing in his laments for the moment, Sora sat up straight so he could shrug out of the backpack and place it on the table. Unzipping it, he pulled out the books he had tossed in several minutes ago and showed them to his mother.

“I’m going to try and teach him.”

His mother hummed thoughtfully, expression neutral as she ran her hands over the worn covers of Sora’s childhood books.

“So you can’t speak to him or understand him at all?” She looked up to see Sora shake his head in confirmation. “So how do you two communicate then?”

“We gesture mostly.” Sora carefully put the books back into the pack and zipped it up once more. “He likes touching my hair a lot. I think he thinks it’s weird.”

His mother giggled softly. “It’s because it’s so hard to tame, my sea star.”

Sora’s head shot up at the nickname his mother hadn’t called him in ages. A new wave of embarrassment washed over him at the loving name. “I make sure to brush it!”

Reaching up, Sora tugged at once of the brown spikes, fiddling with it for a moment before releasing it and allowing his hair to become an unruly mess once again. “It’s not _my_ fault it doesn’t listen.”

“Is that why your hair is even messier when you come home now?” She asked, eyes sparkling in mischief.

The boy shrugged. “No more than usual. But he doesn’t really help the problem.” Sora broke off to laugh softly as he thought of a memory of the merman playing with his hair from the previous night. “He’s really nice though and looks out for me. I just--- Wish I could talk to him now instead of probably months away.”

“So what’s he like?”

“Like I said: we haven’t really known each other long.” Leaning back in his chair, Sora began thinking about the past week he had spent in the merman’s company. It was nice to think about on, and made his heart flutter momentarily as he thought on if he should tell his mother that he had been kissed, too.

“He’s very strong, and looks out for me--”

His mother quickly cut him off. “Are those older boys messing with you again?”

“No, mom,” he answered with a quick shake of his head. Two older boys often put Sora under the brunt of their teasing, but it never had gotten farther than words. “They don’t give me trouble anymore.”

His mother relaxed once again, sated in the knowledge that her child wasn’t under siege from bullies.

“But he’s super into swimming.” That, at least, wasn’t a lie. “He’s a really good swimmer, and the fastest I’ve ever seen.”

“That night you came home soaked down to your bones, did you have a swim with him?” Head canted, her lips were quirked into a wry grin.

“It was an accident!” Reaching up to rub bashfully at his cheek, Sora huffed lightly and averted his gaze, sinking lower in his seat as his mother started to laugh good naturedly. “He sort of surprised me and I fell out of the boat.”

It was true. When the merman kissed him the first time, Sora had capsized the rowboat in his hurry to get away from him. Sora wound up completely drenched and dripped water everywhere when he got home that night.

“You can always do with a good soak, Sora.”

“Mom!” He shouted, face now burning at the teasing. Crossing his arms defiantly over his chest, he huffed and made a show of being upset for the sake of hearing his mother laugh.

He always loved seeing her happy, and knew she had been worried about him being out so often lately. It was nice being home, talking with her and just enjoying her presence.

Sora had been aching with the secret of knowing a mythological creature existed and being the only one to know it so far, but he was getting out all the pressure it put on him by talking with her now. Even his best friend, Kairi, didn’t know as much as his mom was being told right now.

“I’m a little worried he might just disappear one day though,” Sora said, bringing the conversation back into a serious tone. His mother abruptly stopped her laughter, and quietly focused on Sora as he spoke. “He just…. Showed up one day, disappeared a few days, then showed up again two days ago. What if he leaves again?”

“Surely you can communicate somehow if he does?” His mother was frowning, trying to help him rationalize his fears, but in doing so it made the thought of teaching the merman to speak and read a heavier burden.

What if he put in all this effort and the merman just left before he could speak with him?

“Yeah, but what if we _can’t_ before he does? What if he just leaves and I never see or hear from him again?”

“Then at least you have your memories of someone who was once very important to you.” His mother reached across the table to grab hold of Sora’s hand. He felt her give a gentle, reassuring squeeze before smiling.

The silence around them was heavy for a moment, then his mother released him and jumped up to her feet. “But I’m supposed to be making snacks for you, Kairi, and your new friend, aren’t I?”

Sora’s eyes sparkled in delight as he was added into the mix. “I’m getting one too?” He asked. He had already stashed away two sandwiches and a few cans of juice in his backpack, but getting an actual homemade lunch would be much better.”

“Of course, my sea star,” his mother was quick to answer as she began pulling things out of the fridge. “But only if you help me and promise me that you’ll clean the attic sometime this week. Don’t think I haven’t forgotten about that.”

Now that it was an actual _chore_ and not something he wanted to do, Sora was adamantly wanting to avoid cleaning the attic.

Sora let out a pitiful noise of feigned distress.

 

 


	5. Feesh?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All italicized words are spoken as human language. I didn't really think that through when coming to the end of the chapter and wanted to make sure it could be told apart from Riku's normal speech.

By now Riku was actively seeking out the spiky brown hair that belonged to his human. It had scarcely been a full day since he last saw Sora, but he missed the boy and watched to show off his latest achievement.

The sun was high in the cloudless sky; its warm rays heating up the tropical waters that surrounded the islands and invigorating the merman. He loved the warmth the waters brought him when the sun rose to its midday point, while it sometimes made him lazy and sleepy, he also found burst of energy and raced around his territory, making sure to keep other predators at bay.

For Riku, there couldn’t have been a more perfect day. Now if only Sora would show up….

In his eagerness to see the human, there were nearly a few times he started following one of the many rowboats that had made their way to his island. However, after trailing them for a few meters, he was able to see it wasn’t Sora that maneuvered the boats and he was starting to become restless and anxious as the day wore on and his human hadn’t shown up.

After the third mistaken boat, he decided to fill the time with chasing around small fish, snapping up those that were too slow to outswim him, and searching the murky silt and sand on the ocean floor for small, shiny objects and bits of coral he could use to give as a gift to his human.

Even now, two weeks into their friendship, Sora was delighted and turned the softest shade of red whenever Riku brought him something. Which only made Riku more eager to bring more items for his human, especially when Sora wore them.

The reverence Sora always gave the items Riku brought to him had the merman’s stomach dropping low and filling him with a sense of accomplishment. While he still couldn’t always make out what the human was thinking or saying with just expressions and gestures, Riku could tell Sora always enjoyed the small gifts brought to him.

So wrist deep in the silt, Riku sifted through it, coming up with little scraps of sodden wood, water smoothed stones, and old shells of crabs and sea snails. He picked several small, brightly colored cone shaped shells and quickly swam off to his resting area, tucking the precious items away in a seaweed bed. Later he would return and bring them to his human, but for now he didn’t want to be taxed with holding them.

Satisfied that he wouldn’t be overburdened with his presents until later, he went back to lazily swimming around the island as he waited for Sora to show up, actively ignoring the few brave fish that crept up to him and began to nip at the silver scales that made up his lower body. They were picking away grime and parasites that might have cling to him, and Riku wouldn’t hinder their meticulous cleaning.

While he usually kept on top of his hygeine, even a little extra help was appreciated by the fish that plucked off little bits he might have missed. Letting his eyes fall shut, he lazed about near the bottom of the seafloor and allowed fish to slide against his skin and scales and clean him.

Time passed in warm, soothing waves. His tail continued to tread water and pushed him forward in short intervals, and he slowly moved around the island to keep himself awake as he waited for Sora to arrive.

Finally familiar brown spikes caught his keen eyes from underwater after his third or fourth lap around the island. Riku’s heart thundered behind his ribcage and he rushed forward, breaching the surface of calm seawater and shouting his greeting to Sora.

" _Sora_!” The name that spilled from the merman’s lips still sounded off. The S was hissed out more than actually pronounced properly, and the R sounded gravelly and rough, like a growl. But he had practiced all night, trying his best to give the name the respect needed to actually say. It wasn’t the best, in fact it was from from it in his opinion, but he had quite some time to better learn how to give the name the due care it deserved.

“ _Sora_!” He shouted again. He heard a startled scream and watched as the boat rocked violently on the water as Sora scrambled to stand. His hands gripped the edge of the boat and Sora leaned over the edge, face flushed and brows furrowed as shouted words were hurled Riku’s way.

The waves that surrounded him helped push him closer to the small boat in the middle of the water. With one magnificent flick of his tail Riku bolted forward, doing a few laps around the boat and building up more momentum before launching himself out of the water.

He wanted to surprise Sora, the delight that coursed through him at learning how to actually pronounce his name in such little time had the merman veritably trembling in elation to show off his newfound skills in human language.

Riku slithered into the rowboat the human had been using, immediately wanting to press, not only his face, but his entire body against the little human’s as pride and excitement reverberated throughout his entire being. Water splashed everywhere, and he heard a slight cry of alarm come from Sora as he clambered into the boat.

The human grabbed at a large amount of cloth with a concerned yelp, picking it up and hugging it to his chest as Riku closed in. The oars were abandoned in the process and clattered atop Riku’s large tail as the merman quickly made himself as comfortable as possible in the tiny area, sidled up close against the brunet’s side and beaming in joy as he began to chatter.

Puffing his chest out, he grinned up at Sora, sharp teeth glinting in the sunlight. The concern that had once occupied the human’s expression quickly was overcame by his own brilliant smile.

“I’ve been practicing,” he said, trying his best to keep his own enthusiasm down about his ability to now somewhat pronounce Sora’s name. Riku wriggled for a moment as he tried to tell Sora about how he spent all night practicing saying the name properly, no longer to keep back the bodily excitement.

Even his own chirps and chatters started to slur and stutter from his excitement.

Reaching a hand out, he calmed down enough so he wouldn’t accidentally scratch the human and gently cupped Sora’s face, brushing a clawed thumb against the soft skin there. “Sorry it’s not the best, but considering I only had one night to work on it…”

The human leaned into the touch, dark lashes falling shut over his eyes. It seemed Riku’s sudden appearance and immediate need to reform their social bond was forgiven as Sora smiled softly and nuzzled against the cold palm against his jaw. His hand came up to cover the merman’s own, but after one rather turbulent wave Sora released Riku and shook off the hand against his face so he could finish rowing his way to the island.

Riku’s long tail draped itself over the side of the boat, twitching back and forth in the ocean as Sora grabbed the oars so he could carry them both to the island. The other humans were already there, Riku saw two of them show up early with a round object and run the length of the shoreline while trying to take it from one another.

He was usually careful to keep himself submerged so the other children wouldn’t spot him, but now that Sora was here, his whole world hyperfocused to the single point that was Sora. While he would still be cautious about his presence, he was more lax in order to be with the human as much as possible.

Keen ears picked up the high pitched screams of play from the other children. As long as he made his way into the water once Sora got closer to the island he should be fine.

The cloth that Sora had been holding was now sitting on the seat beside him, well out of the small puddle of water that had accumulated in the bottom of the boat after the merman climbed into it.

He had a few minutes to wait as Sora rowed them to the shore, so he grabbed the item and began rifling through it. Usually when he gave his human gifts, the boy would put them in here. Obviously it was used to carry thing without over encumbering his hands, he just didn’t know what it was called.

Riku fumbled with the strings that kept it closed, careful not to shred the delicate material, and began pulling things out.

A hand came into his vision and smacked his own.

“What?” He scowled, gripping the cloth tighter and bringing it protectively to his chest when Sora tried to take it from him. Another swipe and Riku reached out with a hand to ward the human off. He starting to click angrily at the human’s actions and spoke to him in his usual whistles and high pitched keens,“I’m not going to break it, I just want to see what’s in it. Are all the things I gave you still here?”

The merman flipped it upside down and began to shake it, trying to get the contents inside to tumble out to the water filled bottom of the boat. With only one hand, it was the only way he could think of to get what he wanted without struggling to keep the cloth on his person without sliding off.

“ _Stop_!” Another cry of dismay came from his human, and he found the bag ripped from his hands. Several long strips of cloth still clung to his claws from how forceful Sora was with taking it away from him.

The guttural, primitive words Sora spoke were hurled at him. Riku didn’t understand a single word, but guilt crept up his stomach and latched onto his heart.

He made soft apologetic clicks and moved closer. Sora was glaring at him, blue eyes filled with anger, and he half-heartedly shoved at Riku each time he pressed close and made soft keening noises of distress at his actions.

“ _Sora_ \---” Riku said, this time forcing the name out in his most proper human voice.

An exasperated sigh left the human. Sora threw his hands up into the air and slumped against the side of the boat. Even Riku could tell the human was pouting, no longer able to stay mad at the merman for an accident yet unwilling to give up on being angry.

Riku butted his head against his human’s arm. “ _Sora_.”

The human whirled around then, grabbing Riku’s face and squishing his cheeks. He pulled on his face, forcing Riku to make marvelous expressions, and fell into a fit of giggles after a few moments of Riku being too surprised to do much more than allow it to happen before trying to make his own sour expression.

“ _It’s okay_.” He said while gesturing at the item. He repeated the words a few times, fingers stroking Riku’s cheek for a moment before letting his hands fall so he could grab at the, now shredded, cloth once again.

Sora began pulling things out. Two small square things wrapped in more brightly colored cloth were pulled out. Multiple colors and patterns were on the cloth squares, and before Riku could grab at them, one was put into his hands.

“ _Unwrap_ ,” Sora said, then began untying the knots that kept the cloth on.

Riku eagerly began unwrapping the square, only to reveal a see-through box inside.

Sora got his attention again, and demonstrated to Riku how to remove the top with his own box, and soon the scent of food wafted upwards. His stomach rumbled, even though he had eaten scarcely two hours ago.

He could catch the scent of prey and seaweed, yet was unsure what the other food items were. Or even if they were food.

“Fish.” Sora pointed out to some stick looking food. “Fiiiiish.”

“ _Shhh_ \-- _Ffffsh_ \---” Riku mimicked, nodding knowingly as he grabbed a handful and shoved them into his mouth and noisily ate.

It sort of tasted like some of the small fish Riku ate earlier. Yet there was something about it that tasted better, and Riku was quickly trying to get the few that Sora had as well.

However, the food his human had was kept far from Riku’s reach and after seeing the scowl on Sora’ face, the merman went back to eating the other bits of food in the box. It tasted good, and he was delighted the human brought him food.

His tail flicked water onto the both of them after he finished scarfing down the rest of the food. Since Sora brought them a snack, it seemed only fair that Riku did the same.

Before the night ended, he planned on bringing back a large fish for the two of them to eat. It wouldn’t be hard at all, and he knew the best places to go for decent sized prey.

“ _Sora_!” Riku suddenly lurched forward, nearly knocking the human out of the boat and making it rock dangerously. “ _Sora_! _Feesh_!”

He nodded decisively after his words.

It was a promise to get Sora the biggest fish he could manage.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I'm really proud of this AU and decided to share it here as well.  
> While it might not update often here, you can always read the latest chapter or little headcanons I have for the world and characters on my Tumblr. I'll even be down to talk headcanons with you if you like. 
> 
> Enjoy reading! 
> 
> \--- Ark


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